Floor-jack



(ModeL) E. J. LOBDELL.

' FLOOR JACK,

' Patented July 22, 1884. F91].

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.NlTED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

EMMETT J. LOBDELL, or NORTHVILLE, NEW YORK.

FLOORr-JACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 302,416, dated July 22,1884.

Application filed May 16, 1884.

To (l/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMMETT J OHN Lonnnr L, of N orthville, in the county of Fulton and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Floor-Jack, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, effective, and durable jack for closing thejoints of flooring or other claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved floor-jack as applied to use; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the jack, showing the position of the parts at the commencement of the stroke of the head-block.

The letter A indicates the movable headblock of the jack; B, its relatively-fixed thrustblock; 0, the lever for driving the head A forward, and D the dog or pawl for holding the head in theextreme forward orinward position, to which it may be carried by the lever; The head A is grooved horizontally atits forward end, as at a, to straddle the tongue of the (Model) e to receive the end of the lever. The block B is correspondingly grooved forthe lever O at b, and the block preferably is chamfered off at the back end, as at f, and has also across bar or cleat, H, fitted solidly in it, and projecting at each side, to afford a passage for the nails or screws h h, by which, iu'connection with the back nail or screw, 2', the block B may firmly be held to the floor beam or stringer or other support on which the jack is laid. The lever 0 takes its fulcrum on a pin, I, fixed in the end of block B, which pin crosses the groove 1); and the lever has the slot J, to allow its free movement over or around the pin. A suitablehandle, K, is fitted on the head ofthe lever.

In use the jack is laid along a stringer, F, and when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, and with the head A against the. board E being laid, the block B is fixed to the stringer by the nails, pins, or screws hi, and, on forcing the upper end of lever O backward, as in Fig. 1, the head will be moved forward or inward to close the joint of the floor-board with the one last laid, the dog D following the lever and engaging the teeth or rack G, and locking the lever in place when the joint of the boards is tightly closed. The board may now. be nailed fast, and the jack moved along to the next stringer F, to repeat the operation as often as may be necessary for the entire length of the floor. The j ack acts quickly and effect ively, and enables flooring or other matched or jointed planks to be set up for fastening at a considerable saving of time and labor over the usual method of hammering the planks together to secure close joints.

The construction of the thrust-block B, as shown, is suitable for making it of hard wood; but when the jack is made of metal-malleable iron, for instance-side and end lugs will be provided on the block to receive the pins or screws h h t, as will readily be understood.

It will be noticed that the adjacent ends of the head A and block B always overlap each other, with the head below, which, in connection with the working of the lever in the aligned slots 0 b in the head and block, respectively, serves to hold the head A down to its work and guide it truly as it moves inward to close the joints of the work. Pins or spikes may be cast on or fixed to the block B, to fasten the block to the beam thereby, instead of by the loose pins or screws h 13, as above described.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A fioorjack constructed with a movable head, A, having the rack G, the lever O, piw oted to the head at c, and carrying a dog, D, engaging the rack G, and a thrust-block, 13, adapted to be fastened in position and connected to the lever G by a pin, I, passing through a slot, J, in the lever, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the head A, having rack G and a projecting outer end slotted head, and having its inner end overlapping the outer end of the head, substantially as shown and described.

EMMETT J. LOBDELL.

\Vitnesses:

D. D. Grnns, C. SANDERS. 

